There has been a dramatic increase in demand for mobile connectivity solutions utilizing various wireless components and WLANs. Such networks generally involve the use of wireless access points (APs) configured to communicate with mobile devices using one or more RF channels in accordance with various wireless standards and protocols.
It is often desirable to determine the physical location of a particular mobile device within a network. One way of accomplishing this task is to examine signal strength information related to the access points and/or the mobile units within the network environment, thus allowing the location to be inferred with an acceptable degree of accuracy.
In this regard, there are a number of known algorithms that use signal strength information (e.g., RSSI values) from a wireless device to help determine the location of another device. For example, in the 802.11 wireless environment, the signal strengths from the APs are typically used in combination with triangulation techniques to estimate the location of the MUs in the area. One popular method of triangulation, for example, looks for overlap areas between three nearby APs when those APs are associated with a particular mobile device being sought. From this information, standard triangulation techniques can be used to determine the location of the mobile device.
Such techniques are unsatisfactory in a number of respects. For example, depending upon antenna characteristics, the overlap area associated with the access points can be quite large in many circumstances, resulting in location results that are not very precise. On the other hand, if there are only two APs that “see” a particular mobile unit, this triangulation method can not be performed.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and systems for better determining the location of wireless devices in a network.